Why Is TikTok Obsessing Over Costco-Branded Apparel?

Costco has a level of brand loyalty unlike many other businesses. Members are only too happy to flash that card to show that they're in that exclusive shopping society.

People also swear by the quality of Costco's in-house Kirkland brand. Food, beverages, and now even branded apparel. People love that Kirkland gear. So, what is it that makes this branded apparel so special?

Apparently people on TikTok have been posting videos of the latest "Kirkland Sig Collections," featuring T-shirts and sweats that include both the Kirkland logo and the Costco logo.

"Is Coscto now the fashion house of the world?" one TikToker asks in his video.

According to She Finds, the comments say yes.

"Kirkland drip go crazy tbh," one said.

"Kirkland aka Costco brand is low-key an Amazing brand. Anything u buy that's Kirkland is amazing af."

They're so popular that now the "Kirkland Sig" apparel is out of stock. But, it included items like a crewneck featuring a chest imprint of the Kirkland logo, a crewneck sweatshirt with an allover print of the Costco logo, sweatpants with the Kirkland logo down the leg and jogger bottoms, and a black crewneck with the Costco logo embroidered on the chest.

We're sure the quality of the apparel is great. That's really the first step in creating a worthwhile apparel promotion. People don't want to wear itchy or ill-fitting clothes that stretch out or degrade after one day.

But, as we've seen with other social media crazes, this is more about the logo and the hype around it. Sure, there's maybe a sense of irony where young people want to rep the store their parents go to for cheap groceries in bulk. But, if it resonates with people, there's still some genuine connection.

First, they chose basic apparel choices like crewnecks and sweatpants. You can't really go wrong with either one. It's pretty universal appeal. Also, making a subtle design choice for the sweatpants, for example, like going with a jogger bottom, is a simple way to make them more fashion-forward, in addition to comfortable.

Now, let's look again at the decoration techniques. There's the one crewneck that goes for the busy, all-over print, but the rest are fairly understated. A front chest decoration with a simple logo goes a long way. It looks classy, and doesn't feel too much like you're a billboard.

The larger printing along the leg of the sweatpants creates more of a focal point, but the logo art itself isn't too flashy, so it tones it down a little. The print is also limited to space from about the knee to the ankle, rather than the entire length of the leg.

Finally, this really just comes down to a case of brand loyalty and brand connection. Yes, the TikTok posts give it a boost that might not be sustainable forever. But, as we said up top, people love Costco, so the branding efforts don't have to be too over-the-top to resonate with people.

If you are a strong brand with a loyal audience, just a simple logo placement can turn any piece into a new favorite for the end-user. It might even cause a social media storm.